


Shining Crystal Grumps

by aam5ever



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Crystal Grumps, F/M, Fusions, Gem Grumps, M/M, flashbacks will happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-28
Updated: 2015-07-27
Packaged: 2018-04-01 15:02:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4024312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aam5ever/pseuds/aam5ever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The multiple Crystal Grump happenings located right here! (Credit to tumblr user alligator-jigglin-fever )</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Only Years Ago

"Hey, Arin!" Suzy came into the room. Arin was busy with playing a game while she invited herself in. He glanced up and smiled at her.

The game was paused so he could give her a small kiss on the cheek. "What's up, babe?" 

She giggled before saying, "Ross thinks he found someone in the yard. He asked if I could come get you. He was all excited about it." She couldn't help but shrug. "But you know Ross."

At that, the gem grump got up from his seat and cracked his knuckles, the pink gem in his hand still warm from holding the controller. "Let's see what the fuck is going on..."

The two left the game room and made the small venture outside, where both of their eyes widened at the sight. Ross was struggling to help up a lanky man, his hair fluffier than clouds and outfit right out of a girl's 1980s fantasy. He moaned, and you could see a crater right behind him. How in the world did Arin not hear any of this shit earlier?

Maybe he was yelling at his game too much to notice. 

"Uh..." Suzy's brow was furrowed. "He wasn't joking."

"No shit I wasn't joking!" Ross shouted back frantically. "Help me!"

They went over and slowly got the man, who was now obviously known to be a gem by the ruby red one in his stomach, into the house. It was their base of operations, where no one would really bother the gems. It was also near Ross' own house with his wife Holly, so no one could protest. The home wasn't anything spectacular, nor a thing to scoff at.

Arin finally sat the guy down. His head slumped over, and they couldn't really get a good look at his tan face. "Hello?" He cautiously said, leaning forward. "Are you-"

"Where am I?" The man asked as his head raised, causing them to take a few steps back on surprise. His eyes seemed big and panicked, looking from face to face. The two pupils rested on Arin's gem, and he desperately grabbed the hand, much to the other man's shock. "You're a gem?" 

Arin freed himself from the mysterious gem's grasp, nodding suspiciously. Ross spoke up, asking, "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

Without knowing what else to do but go with it, the man sighed and pointed upwards. "My identity is Danny Sexbang... and I'm from the outer reaches of space." 

He was met with silence before Suzy's face was covered by her hands to try and conceal her influx of giggles. It was followed by Arin and Ross losing their shit exactly in that order. Dan raised an eyebrow, wondering that their problem was. I mean, he chose the most human name Brian had told him... unless...

The bastard probably tricked him again.

"I'm going to assume that name is complete garbage-"

"No, dude!" Ross tried to reassure him. "It's fucking... fucking golden." 

Arin nodded, biting his tongue. "Mhm!" 

Finally, Suzy gave Dan a warm smile. "Could I make you some tea?" She gave him a good evaluation with her eyes. "You look like you could use a bath, too..."

"But gems don't need things such as tea and-"

"Believe me," Suzy interrupted, knowing what he was going to say. "you'll take a liking to human things soon."

Arin took a seat with Dan, a somewhat knowing smile emerging on his lips. "Hopefully you stay long enough for us to get to know one another. There aren't a lot of well-meaning gems on Earth."

Dan smiled, and felt the same way. Little did he know that he'd stay a long time, and they'd get to know one another, and everyone else including others such as Brian and Barry, much more than a little. This was the start of the expansion of Suzy and Arin's lives and knowledge of gems.


	2. Darin' to Fuse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny and Arin recall the time their first fusion happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't written this for a while, but inspiration has struck!

Years later, Arin and Dan were in the game room (now renamed the Grump Room) playing multiplayer Mario World. At that moment, Dan was setting up to jump over a chasm and his friend was trying to psych him out. 

"Mess up!" He kept repeating, clapping his hands together. "Mess up mess up mess up mess-"

"Damn it!" Dan suddenly shouted as his Luigi fell into the hole immediately. They both laughed at Arin's success as he entered the next level with his Mario. 

The character jumped on koopa shells as he spoke. "I can't believe that worked." Arin chuckled. "Why did that work?"

Dan was too busy rubbing his temples with a laugh. "I... have no idea." He looked over at his friend. "That was even more of a silly accident than when we fused for the first time."

"What?" Arin looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Nah, that was flawless."

"Dude."

"What?"

"Let's recap what happened."

...

"Hey Dan?" Arin, sleepy as ever, lazily turned his head over to look at him. "Have you ever fused with anyone?" He extended the word 'fused' in a way that let Danny know he was really ready for bed.

Yet, they were still in the grump room, playing Yoshi's Cookie. "I have, actually. Just one person, though." He answered. "Brian and I have fused a few times, just for no particular reason.” None that should be brought up at the moment.

The other gem hummed and then looked over at Dan with a smirk. “It-it would be pretty cool if we were like...” He smushed his hands together and made an absurd sound, causing Danny to laugh. “Right?” 

“I’m guessing you mean if we fuse?”

“Dude, we’d be a hot fusion. With my killer looks and your luscious locks?” Arin whistled at the thought. “We’d be unstoppable.” He smiled wistfully, as if off in his own little world. “That, and I think we’d kick some serious ass.”

Dan hadn’t thought about the notion, really. He had put his fusion days behind him since he came down to Earth. Every battle they fought was fought as a singular gem, none of them fusing to take on such little matters. Brian and he faced treacherous environments when in Homeworld. He thought of the last time they fused, and shivered. All of those poor gems...

“Danny?”

His attention snapped back to the sleepy Arin. “Huh? Oh, um...” Now he was second guessing if he should even be involved in this. 

“Want to give it a test run?”

“F-fusion?” Dan’s eyes widened. “Right now?” There was no measuring how big they’d be, how out of control they would act, how their minds and gems would overlap and join. “Aren’t you too tired for that?”

“Gems don’t need sleep.”

“You’re an Earth gem, who knows what you need?”

The sentence made sense, but Arin brushed it off, jumping to his feet and grabbing him of Dan’s hand. “Let’s do this, Sexbang. You and I!”

With a bit of reluctance, Daniel got up and stood with Arin. He laughed once the other gem started to dance in a silly fashion. He wasn’t much of a dancer himself, his vocal chords expressing all he needed, but Arin... his rhythm was almost as bad as Ross’. “Dude, what’re you-”

“Get with it, man!” Arin moved his shoulders and took both of Dan’s hands in his. He flopped them around and spun him to the imaginary music. “At least put your back into it.”

Dan rolled his eyes but stuck with him, dancing just as ridiculously as him. They giggled like children and were constantly moving their feet to a beat that nobody but those two heard. Slowly, their dancing got closer and closer together, their gems glowed, and a familiar warm sensation washed over both of them as they finally looked at each other and saw what was happening. A blinding white light engulfed them, and once it died down, a new person took their place.

He looked down at his skin, right between the tone of Arin and Danny’s. A hand, with the thumb teetering right at the edge of abnormally shaped, reached up and touched a streak of curly, blonde hair, the rest being a dark brown shade. The other three hands were brought up into eyes’ view, which widened at the sight. One of these hands held a sparkling pink gem. A finger tapped the other gem, red, in the belly of the fusion. 

The new person blinked before smiling. “This is- I am... fucking awesome!” He pumped two fists into the air, the other two hands resting on his hips in a cool fashion. “We look rad dude! I... I look rad!” Quickly, he looked into the window of the Grump space,a bit of a reflection showing himself what he looked like. “Arin... Danny... It feels so good to be... Darin? Darin!” The feeling of being two people wasn’t new to either of them, but being with new people was always exciting. 

“Hey babe? I was wondering if-” Suzy came in, greeted by the sight of the fusion checking himself out. She almost dropped the mug of tea she was making before she headed off to her gem room. “I... uh... A-Arin?” The blonde stripe of hair let her recognize what might be going on here.

Darin looked at her. “Suzy?” His voice was an interesting mix of Dan’s light and calm voice with Arin’s deeper and direct one. The surprise of her arriving was enough to separate the two. They were thrown to other sides of the room, right on their bums, looking at the woman sheepishly.

The awkward stare between all three of them was broken when Suzy finally started to giggle, spilling a bit of her tea. "Well, that's new." She smirked. "I'm guessing this is the first time this happened." The two men nodded. "Aw, cute." 

Dan blushed. "Cute?" He stood up with a smile that feigned confidence. "Pft, we were awesome!"

"Well, whoever that was-"

"Darin." Arin stood and told her the name. He and Dan exchanged a glance of mutual agreement.

"Well then..." Suzy sipped her tea once more before smiling at the both of them. "Darin's pretty cute."

...

"And then I kept trying to say Darin was anything but that but you and her ganged up on me!" Dan exclaimed at the end. "At least we fused."

Arin nodded, listening intently. "We've never used him to fight..." He wanted to say 'Not yet' but didn't think that needed to be explained. "I'm glad we fused, man." 

Danny grinned at the statement. "Me too, Arin." He couldn't help but compare how good he and Arin fused... no rage, no gore... it was unlike the fusion he had experienced before. He loved it. "Me too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: aam5ever


	3. Mute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan's cracked gem causes him to lose the only thing he cared about more than his friends.

Gems are naturally fragile things, often treated with care by humans when they are simply lifeless. Gems with life, however, are strong. They are fearless, emotional, and tough. They will kick your ass and not ask a single question after. 

This doesn't mean both types don't have the same goal: don't crack.

"Ah, shit!" Arin was thrown back by the blast a corrupted gem had spat his way. The slobbering monster resembled a mutilated, giant fly, spitting out explosive projectiles. It was an almost beautiful royal blue color, if it hadn't been trying to blow up all of Suzy's friends. 

She held her ground, and told Ross to attack it as she charged in with her mace. It swung over her head as she let out a battle cry and hit the side of the grounded fly monster's head. It let out a screech and fired its deadly spit, but Suzy jumped away from the explosion. Ross advanced, silver shovel hitting the side of the creature repeatedly. Arin, coming back into the action, fired his arm cannon. The pellets were fast and actually seemed to be hurting the monster.

Dan had been standing nearby, ready whenever the others were for him to strike. His katana gleamed in the pale morning light, a soft breeze lifting a bit of hair out of his face. They had gotten the creature away from the town, and to a small cliff that was over a meadow. The fall looked good enough to get the corrupt gem situation under control.

Ross' shovel was thrown out of his hand, and he scrambled away just before another shot could've thrown him into the air. Arin's eyes were suddenly on Dan, voice straining to yell, "Now!" 

The direction had his legs moving as he ran into the scene. Danny wasn't hesitant to plunge his katana into the head of the beast. It flew up into the air without warning, but Dan held fast. He heard calls of worry from the others below, but had his sights set on defeating the gem monster. With all his might, he pushed the katana into the head more as he was being repeatedly shaken off. Dan eventually got to the final point, and the beast's physical form was released, retreating back into its gem. 

Too bad Dan wasn't skilled at flying.

The sudden change had him in a state of shock that he didn't even fully exclaim until he was over the cliff and falling into the meadow below. The ground came up fast, and Danny braced himself as much as he could before the initial-

A sudden cracking noise found his ears once he landed oh so not gracefully. Electric pain, mixed with an excruciating sting from his belly gem, caused him to moan... or not. Dan slowly pushed himself up into a somewhat seated position, and looked down. He went a bit pale at the sight of a crack, long and resembling spider webbing on a part of his gem. Looking around, the gem tried to call for help, but no sound would escape his mouth. He felt like his entire voice was snatched, nothing but air passed through him. He couldn't hum or whistle or whisper or scream... it was a new kind of Hell for him.

A girl's voice, followed by the other two guys, caught his attention. His scared eyes found them, and immediately they all stopped. Dan looked almost helpless, and disheveled. "Are you..." Arin was going to ask a simple question when he noticed the damaged stone. "Oh... damn, we have to get him home."

They helped him up while he remained speechless. They thought he was simply shocked, but the fact was, he couldn't even verbalize a symbol. "Dan...?" Ross looked at him, worry etched into his features. "What's wrong? How hurt are you?" His serious demeanor was only reserved for situations like this. 

Dan tried to say the phrase, "I don't know", but it came out like he was mouthing the words. They were starting to walk back home, and during the entire time, they eventually figured out that the cracked gem's side effect was a lost voice. It frustrated Danny, and while they spoke about it, he impatiently walked ahead, leaving the other three behind.

"He's never cracked his gem on Earth..." Arin said. "I wonder if he's ever cracked his gem at all." 

"We can't leave him alone to wallow..." Suzy told them. "Kevin might be able to help. He's used his own powers to heal. Maybe his voice can mend Danny's."

The two spoke about it as Ross stared after Dan. He looked tired, shoulders slumped over as he walked. "Maybe we should... give him space." 

Once home, Dan disappeared into his gem room. Arin and Suzy exchanged a look as Barry came over to greet them. "You guys take care of the problem?" His smile melted at their sad looks. "Something happen? What's wrong?"

"We bubbled and poofed the corrupted gem... but..." Suzy looked away.

Arin finished her thought. "Dan was hurt." He saw the expression on Barry's face and explained it quickly. "His gem cracked a little. He can't speak at all because of it." He left out the fact that the whole ordeal got Dan a bit pissy. "Have you seen Kevin?" 

"Kevin? I think... I can't remember." Barry wasn't sure where the youngest was. 

"We might need him to help Dan."

"Yeah. Maybe try his room?" 

Suzy tapped Arin's arm. "I'll go check his room. Could you go see Dan?" She knew that the gem needed someone. 

Arin nodded, and used the door to get to Dan's room. It was littered with posters all around of bands and artists from multiple eras. There were staircases that lead to multiple instruments, the highest one to a microphone. Some lead to nowhere, just waiting for someone to get to the top and have their foot fall on nothingness below it. Blue crystals and stalactites had illuminated the room with a blue light, but the rough floor was a rugged red color. 

The gem looked up to the highest spiral staircase, seeing a puff of brown hair up there. The place was eerily silent, the usual soft music that played and echoed throughout the whole customized room turned off. Arin jumped to the nearest staircase, and to another, and another. Dan's eyes met his when he was close, and Arin saw he was holding the familiar studded microphone. It broke his heart to see the man being so... voiceless. 

"Dan..." He managed a sad smile. "Sounds pretty quiet in here without the music, don't you think?"

The man had been sitting, knees to his chest, eyes looking tired and forlorn. The set of eyes went from forlorn to annoyed, and looked away. 

"Don't you wanna play a few games? We usually do that after a mission." 

No response from the mute singer. 

"Fine... I'm coming over there." Arin warned before jumping to the same platform Dan was on. 

Dan threw the microphone at him, trying and failing to make him leave. Arin caught the projectile with a surprised noise. He's never witnessed him being this way, and didn't know how to really approach it. "What can I... is there anything I can do?" He crouched by him, putting a hand on his knee. 

The gesture was nice, and meaningful, but Danny was in no mood. He wasn't thinking about what Arin wanted to do, because all he could think about is what Homeworld did to cracked gems... the sound of them being shattered for being useless echoed in his mind... 

'Leave' was what he mouthed. A finger pointed to the door. 

"But-"

'Leave!' The finger pointed more aggressively, Dan angrier than he's ever been since he came to Earth. He tapped into the anger thinking about home brought, and that was enough to shroud his reason in thick fog. 'Leave me alone for once.' And like that, he curled back into himself.

Arin could obviously do nothing but follow instructions. His frown stayed all the way out the door, and continued as it closed. Suzy saw the expression, and Kevin did as well. Turned out he had been nearby after all. 

"No luck." The pink gem informed them. "He's so... angry."

Kevin blinked. "Angry?" He sounded concerned. "I've never seen Dan angry..." Being new to the lineup of Earth gems, he was learning a lot of things. Sadly, there was nothing about this situation that the other gems could help him understand. 

They barely knew this situation too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: aam5ever


	4. Do it for Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kevin finds the right tune to bring Dan back to his normal self.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Do it for Her/Him from Steven Universe, modified to fit the circumstances.

Kevin sighed, alone by his desk. Music poured through his headphones, but he had them hanging off his neck. The others were scattered about the house/homebase, Holly even being here. She had been with Arin to talk about Dan, who remained mute for days now, approaching a week.

The mood was somber, knowing that a key member of their group was (poorly) coping with the loss of his voice. Every time someone's gem cracked, they had been able to heal it with help from Kevin. Now, Kevin tried healing Dan, but it didn't work.

His voice, the sound waves that came from him, wasn't enough to heal Dan. His crack was hard to heal, being more than one broken path was in the stone. He couldn't go on missions in fear of completely shattering, and stayed holed up in his room about all the time. Multiple times, Kevin came in, sat next to him, and sang. Sometimes he sang softly, sometimes he sung Dan's favorite songs, sometimes he'd just go to hum. Dan usually stayed motionless, and each day a bit more hope left his already tired eyes. Kevin couldn't help but wonder what was going on in the man's head. What was he thinking about the entire time? Was this how he was going to be forever?

Just as he put his head down, Arin came into the room and put a hand on his shoulder, startling him. “Woah, sorry.” He chuckled slightly at the expression on Kevin’s face. “I was wondering how you’re doing.” The focus was so much on Dan that he had almost forgotten about Kevin’s feelings. He had only been with the group for a few months, and his powers worked every time. Of course the sadness of not being able to help the cracked gem would get to him.

“Its just...” Kevin looked up at him. “Every time someone was hurt, I was able to help.” He sounded hurt. “Why can’t I do that this time? What’s stopping me?”

“Shit always happens, one way or another.” Arin tried to console him. “There’s always gonna be a day where something fucks up and you’ve got to find another way. We’ve just got to find another way.” He corrected himself, knowing that this burden can’t be placed on the back of the youngest gem. "Maybe it’s something else inside you that can help him. Maybe he needs something purer than your voice to heal his gem.” The notion was random, but possibly true.

No matter the case, however, Kevin stood up. “Well, let’s find another way, right?” The look of determination in his eyes made Arin smile.

“Want to try in the grump space? To see if we can make your gem glow?”

“Alright.”

Suzy and Holly had joined them in the room. They sat on the couch as the other two took seats on the floor. “What do you think will work?” Holly asked.

“Not sure.” Arin shrugged.

“Did you guys even have another plan in the first place?” Was the question Suzy followed up Holly’s with. Holly was sure of the answer, and Kevin delivered just what she expected.

“Not really...?”

The two girls sighed, and Arin promised that, "It's gonna be alright. We just need to find something else that can heal."

Dan, still in his room, noticed that Kevin hadn't visited him for the day. Maybe they'd given up on him... maybe they went on a mission... maybe they've forgotten about him.

But that just can't happen, can it? Crystal Grumps aren't like the Homeworld gems. They don't abandon, they protect. They're some of the most morally sound gems he's ever known in his long life. So what was he thinking so negative for? Had his home really poisoned his mind so much?

Much to his dismay, Danny knew he had to leave his room some time. It wasn't fun or helpful, him staying stationary and emotionless. He knew why Kevin couldn't heal him like the others. It just couldn't be told... not now, not to such a young gem. He hadn't even disclosed that information to the other grumps. But when they know... Dan's not sure how they'll handle knowing such a dark secret.

Slowly standing, he dared to stretch and look down at his studded microphone. Picking it up, he turned it in his hand and smiled sadly. He'd get to use it again somehow, sometime. It was replaced on the mic stand, and Dan made his way down to the door.

Meanwhile, Kevin was trying to sing with enough heart to make his gem glow. However, that wasn't the case. He finally laid down on the ground, tired from all the singing and humming and exercises that just wouldn't work. Suzy and Holly shared a concerned look. What was blocking his usual energy?

"Maybe the gem that needs to be healed needs to be nearby?" Holly offered as an explanation for his failure.

Suzy saw the look of doubt in Arin's eyes, but listened to the "That can possibly be right" that wasn't true to him come out of his mouth. She knew it was to be simply supportive, moving a strand of her hair out of her face with a sigh.

There was a beat of thoughtful silence. Kevin broke it with his humming of an unfamiliar song. It broke out into an actual one once he made up words. "I'll do it for him, because it's all I can do. I will hear him sing, that is to say, I'll do it for him..." The others looked down at him quizzically as he slowly sat back up. " _Keep my... eyes up, keep by motivation. Use my concentration, since I have to help..._ " He looked over at Arin. " _No use being... underestimated. I see in your faces, you believe in me._ "

" _Keep your eyes bright..._ " Arin started to single to the tune. " _Keep your destination. With this new sensation-_ "

"Do you think...?" Kevin interrupted. "Do you think I can help?"

The other gem kept going. " _This might just work._ "

"Yeah, I think I've got it now!" Kev smiled. " _Everything I have, everything I've got, I've got to give... to the breaking stone. He seems to be so put down. Yet he takes this on all alone, and tries his best to push us away. If only he would listen to what we have to say! Because we'll do it for him, and we would do it again. We will hear him sing, that is to say, we'll do it for him..._ "

Wandering around the house, Dan didn't see a soul around. He tried to call for a name, but of course, not a sound came out. It reminded him of his handicap, and made him frustrated again. Of all things, why this?

" _...what they... don't know, is your real advantage. When you are a healer, no one has to die._ "

Was that Arin? And where did it come from? Dan followed the voice, which was soon replaced by Kevin's.

" _Deep down, I know, that I'm just a newbie, but that doesn't mean I won't use all my might!_ " The power of the song made Dan feel warm. He continued to follow. “ _With my new existence, I can make a difference. I can cure his gemstone, make Dan smile bright._ ”

He finally found the source of the sweet song. Entering the room, everyone turned towards him. Kevin’s green gem glow softly, tears pricking his eyes. Calmly, Dan sat next to him on the floor, the look in his eyes encouraging them all to keep going. They all were nothing else but supportive of him. Now it was Dan’s turn to support Kevin. ‘Go on’ was what he mouthed.

“ _You’ll do it for him._ ” Suzy sung with her high, melodic voice.

Holly joined in and they dueted the next line. “ _We’ll hear his voice sing..._ ”

“ _And I would do it again._ ” A tear fell from Kevin’s face. He was emotional, elated that everyone here was trying their best. the tear seemed to melt into Dan’s skin... his red gem starting to glow as a reaction. A strange sensation seemed to fill the disconnected pieces of his being, and then mold them together, making him, and his personality, whole again.

Arin smiled widely, continuing the song. “ _You do it for him, which means to say-_ ”

“ _You did it for me._ ”

Everyone’s eyes were now drawn to Danny, who happily finished the final verse.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: aam5ever


	5. Wishful Thinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3am gazing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A soft chapter, short and sweet. A new arc may begin soon...

The silence of the house was sickening to her. She was never really used to sleeping; she was so used to working around the clock. Homeworld treated her like a the little commander she was, which was to let her work and work and work until her friendly demeanor iced over. Power and conquering overtook her mind. Sometimes, she would miss it. That's how engrained the rules of the Homeworld were with most gems. It was borderline abusive, if not completely in some cases.

With a sigh, Holly escaped her bed. She looked over, making sure Ross was still in the grip of slumber. She exited their shared gem room, and wondered if the other gems were up at all. It was only 3 am, after all. 

Leaving a note just in case, the gem went outside. A quick night walk might soothe her racing mind. Owls let out their howl, music to her ears. The winged creatures on Earth had always been pleasant to her. She was apparently a magnet to them as well; her house was always surrounded by them during the day. 

She hummed a little tune as her feet took her past other houses. Suddenly, she stopped near Arin's home, where many of the other gems resided. Outside, Dan and Suzy were sitting, looking up at the stars. 

"Guys?" She called out to them. They seemed to be snapped out of their state. "Hey... why up so early?"

"We could ask the same about you." Suzy said with a smile. She stood up, along with Dan. "We're just looking up at the stars. They're beautiful, you know." The wistful tone of her voice made Holly's face light up, since Suzy rarely spoke of space with such warmth.

She walked into the grass, cool blades tickling her feet. "May I join?"

At that, Dan chuckled "You're asking as if you won't join either way."

"Yeah, you're right."

They all took seats on the ground, eyes gazing up into the night sky. The crickets chirped around them, cars passing by few and far in between. They were all thinking about the same place; Homeworld wasn't easy to forget. It's like a constant itchy patch of skin you just had to scratch. 

Dan couldn't forget the friend he had up there. Brian was special, the only one who cared about him. They moved up the ranks in the combat sector of Homeworld. The things they made him do... the things they forced into his mind...

Right before Danny thought he would lose himself, Brian found something. Music, with tones and melodies and bass and pure electrifying energy found its way into his gem... into his heart. The decision to turn away from combat cost him his total freedom... until he crashed onto Earth. 

Suzy saw the look in Dan's eyes, lost yet focused. She knew about some of his history, and couldn't help but feel an ache in her being. He had been through so much compared to her. She worked just to keep the tech going and manage the planets they had destroyed. She managed the amount of gems they created per planet, and would usually get praised. Nobody did Suzy's job like she did.

It was no wonder that handling the Crystal Grumps came easily to her. She was always there to organize and run numbers. Missions to take out the corrupted wouldn't run as smoothly as they did without her thrown into the mix, no doubt. 

"I can't believe how far we've come." Holly's words broke the relative silence, but nobody shifted their eyes from space. "I had almost forgotten what friendship was like once I came down to Earth." A cool wind blew her pink hair, letting it tickle her neck. She moved a few strands from her face before saying, "Commander Holly wasn't exactly a nice girl." 

The little laugh she gave made Dan look over at her. He understood exactly what she meant. "Yeah, Combat Danny was a douche." Saying his past self as if he was a different person comforted him. It was like... the deed wasn't on his hands anymore. 

Suzy couldn't relate as much. She wasn't as far up the ranks as Holly, but wasn't put in such harsh conditions like Dan. "I wonder what they've done to Homeworld lately." The random thought settled in on all of their minds.

What has happened to Homeworld? 

When they left, and landed in a Kindergarten, their old home was getting into dark times. Who knows how bad or destructive or strong the natives were now? The tech... it could be 1000 times better than anything Earth has. Better than anything they have. 

Dan slowly tilted back until he was laying down, hair and limbs splayed about. He soon saw Suzy scoot over and do the same. The next thing he knew, Holly's head was on his chest. The gem couldn't help the slight blush that stung his cheeks, but a hand found its way on her head, moving some pink strands from her face. She looked... a bit more unsure than usual.

It was comfortable, laying like this. Suzy couldn't help the thought. She saw Dan, with Holly's head laying on him, and smiled. From what she knew, it took Holly a while to open up to others. And when she met someone like Ross... even though they were very much opposites in multiple ways, they ended up clicking. It wasn't the easiest to accept a Kindergarten kid. 

"Maybe they forgot about us." Suzy's wishful thinking escaped we lips.

Even though Holly doubted it, even though that was unlikely, even though she was all too familiar with Homeworld's obsession for revenge... the woman let out a hopeful, "Maybe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: aam5ever


End file.
